President Coolidge hand on piece of radio equipment used on automobiles during the campaign, 1924. John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. (July 4, 1872 - January 5, 1933) was the 30th President of the US (1923-29). A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, and eventually became governor. He was elected as the 29th Vice President in 1920 and succeeded to the Presidency upon the sudden death of Harding in 1923. Elected in his own right in 1924, he gained a reputation as a small-government conservative, and as a man who said very little. Coolidge restored public confidence in the White House after the scandals of his predecessor's administration, and left office with considerable popularity. His reputation underwent a renaissance during the Ronald Reagan administration, but the ultimate assessment of his presidency is still divided between those who approve of his reduction of the size of government programs and those who believe the federal government should be more involved in regulating and controlling the economy. He died suddenly from coronary thrombosis in 1933 at the age of 60. Shortly before his death, Coolidge confided to an old friend: "I feel I no longer fit in with these times." National Photo Company Collection.